place of fitting in the boxes, as they now do, fat on the ftage; what influence those people had on the meanest fort of the audience, may be seen by the following lines in the Prologue written by Chapman himself. Great are the gifts given to united heads; Alphonfus Emperor of Germany, a Tragedy, often acted with applaufe at a private houfe in Black Fryars, by the fervants of King Charles I. printed in 4to. London 1654. This play, though it bears the name of Alphonfus, was writ, as Langbaine fuppofes, in honour of the English nation, in the perfon of Richard, Earl of Cornwal, fon to King John, and brother to Henry III. He was chofen King of the Romans in 1527. About this time Alphonfus, the French King was chofen by other electors. Though this King was accounted by fome a pious prince, yet our author reprefents him as a bloody tyrant, and, contrary to other hiftorians, brings him to an unfortunate end, he fuppofing him to be killed by Alexander, fon to Lorenzo de Cipres his fecretary, in revenge of his father, who was poisoned by him, and to compleat his revenge, he makes him firft deny his Saviour in hopes of life, and then ftabs him, glorying that he had at once defroyed both body and foul. This paffage is related by feveral authors, as Bolton's Four laft Things, Reynolds of the Paffions, Clark's Examples, &c. Blind Beggar of Alexandria, a Comedy, printed 1598. dedicated to the earl of Nottingham, Lord High Admiral. Buffy Buffy d'Amboife, a Tragedy, often prefented at St. Paul's, in the reign of King James I. and fince the Restoration with great applaufe; for the plot fee Thuanus, Jean de Serres, and Mezeray, in the reign of King Henry III. of France. This is the play of which Mr. Dryden fpeaks, when in his preface to the Spanish Fryar, he refolves to burn one annually to the memory of Pen Johnfon. Some have differed from Mr. Dryden in their opinion of this piece, but as the authorities who have applauded, are not fo high as Mr. Dryden's fingle authority, it is most reasonable to conclude not much in its fa vour. Buffy d'Amboife his Revenge, a Tragedy, printed 1613, and dedicated to Sir Thomas Howard. This play is generally allowed to fall fhort of the former of that name, yet the author, as appears from his dedication, had a higher opinion of it himself, and rails at thofe who dared to cenfure it; it is founded upon fiction, which Chapman very juftly defends, and fays that there is no neceffity for any play being founded on truth. Confpiracy and Tragedy of Charles, Duke of Byron, Marfhal of France, in two plays, acted at the Black Fryars in the reign of King James I. printed in 4to. London 1608, dedicated to Sir Thomas Walfingham. Cæfar and Pompey, a Roman Tragedy, printed 1631, and dedicated to the Earl of Middlefex. Gentleman Ufher, a Comedy, printed in 4to. London 1606. We are not certain whether this play was ever acted, and it has but an indifferent character. Humourous Day's Mirth, a Comedy; this is a very tolerable play. Mask of the Two Honourable Houfes, or Inns of Court, the Middle-Temple, and Lincoln's-Inn, performed before the King at Whitehall, on Shrove Monday Monday at night, being the 15th of February, 1613, at the celebration of the Royal Nuptials of the Palfgrave, and the Princefs Elizabeth, &c. with a defcription of their whole fhew, in the manner of their march on horseback, from the Mafter of the Rolls's houfe to the court, with all their noble conforts, and fhewful attendants; invented and fashioned, with the ground and special structure of the whole work by Inigo Jones; this Mafk is dedicated to Sir Edward Philips, then Mafter of the Rolls. At the end of the Mafque is printed an Epithalamium, called a Hymn for the most happy Nuptials of the Princess Elizabeth, &c. May-Day, a witty Comedy, acted at the Black Fryars, and printed in 4to. 1611. Monfieur d' Olive, a Comedy, acted by her Majefty's children at the Black Fryars, printed in 4to. 1606. Revenge for Honour, a Tragedy, printed 1654. Temple, a Masque. Two Wife-men, and all the reft Fools, or a Comical Moral, cenfuring the follies of that age, printed in London 1619. This play is extended to feven acts, a circumftance which Langbaine fays he never faw in any other, and which, I believe, has never been practifed by any poet, ancient or modern, but himself. Widow's Tears, a Comedy, often prefented in the Black and White Fryars, printed in 4to. London 1612; this play is formed upon the story of the Ephefian Matron. These are all the plays of our author, of which we have been able to gain any account; he joined with Een Johnson and Marfton in writing a Comedy called Eastward-Hoe; this play has been fince revived by Tate, under the title of Cuckolds Haven. It has been faid that for fome reflections contained in it against the Scotch nation; Ben Johnson narrowly escaped the pillory. See more of this, page 237. BEN his grandfather, who was a gentleman, being originally of Annandale in that kingdom, whence he removed to Carlisle, and afterwards was employed in the fervice of King Henry VIII. His father loft his eftate under Queen Mary, in whofe reign he fuffered imprisonment, and at laft entered into holy orders, and died about a month before our poet's birth*, who was born at Weftminster, fays Wood, in the year 1574. He was firit educated at a private fchool in the church of St. Martin's in the Fields, afterwards removed to Westminster school, where the famous Camden was mafter. His mother, who married a bricklayer to her fecond hufband, took him from fchool, and obliged him to work at his father-in-law's trade, but being extremely averse to that employment, he went into the low countries, where he diftinguished himself by his bravery, having in the view of the army killed an enemy, and taken the opima fpolia from him. Upon his return to England, he applied himself again to his former ftudies, and Wood fays he was . admitted into St. John's College in the university of Cambridge, though his continuance there feems to have been but fhort. He had fome time after this the misfortune to fight a duel, and kill his adverfary, who only flightly wounded him in the arm; for this he was imprisoned, and being caft for his life, was near execution; his antagonist, he * Drummond of Hawthornden's works, fol. 224. Edinburgh Edition, 1711. faid, faid, had a fword ten inches longer than his own. While he lay in prison, a popish priest visited him, who found his inclination quite difengaged as to religion, and therefore took the opportunity to imprefs him with a belief of the popifh tenets. His mind then naturally melancholy, clouded with apprehenfions, and the dread of execution, was the more eafily impofed upon. However, fuch was the force of that impreffion, that for twelve years after he had gained his liberty, he continued in the catholic faith, and at laft turned Proteftant, whether from conviction or fashion cannot be determined; but when the character of Ben is confidered, probability will be upon the fide of the latter, for he took every occafion to ridicule religion in his plays, and make it his fport in converfation. On his leaving the univerfity he entered himself into an obfcure playhouse, called the Green Curtain; fomewhere about Shoreditch or Clerkenwell. He was first an actor, and probably only a strolling one; for Decker in his Satyromaftix, a play published in 1602, and defigned as a reply to Johnfon's Poetafter, ' reproaches him with having left 'the occupation of a mortar trader to turn actor, and with having put up a fupplication to be a poor journeyman player, in which he would have 'continued, but that he could not fet a good face upon it, and fo was cafhiered. Befides, if we admit that fatire to be built on facts, we learn further, that he performed the part of Zuliman at 'the Paris Garden in Southwark, and ambled by a play-waggon on the high-way, and took mad Jeronymo's part to get fervice amongst the mimicks*. Shakespear is faid to have first introduced him to the world, by recommending a play of his to the stage, at the time when one of the Birch's Lives of Illuftrious Men. players |